How to Get Into University of South Carolina Law School: LSAT, GPA & Admissions (2026)

The short answer to how to get into University of South Carolina Law School is to reach the medians in the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure: a 162 LSAT and a 3.67 GPA. The middle 50 percent scored 160 to 164 on the LSAT and 3.43 to 3.86 in GPA. Clear both and you are competitive.

By Ali Unar, Georgetown Law, Founder of Lovare Institut. Ali Unar is a Georgetown Law student and the founder of Lovare Institut, an admissions and LSAT-prep practice built on primary-source law school data. Verified August 2026. Every figure on this page comes from the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class), the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, and the school's own published pages.

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law is the state's flagship public law school, and the fact to lead with is value paired with outcomes. Its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists resident tuition and fees of just $20,322 a year, a low figure for a law degree, and its Class of 2024 outcomes are strong: 93.1 percent of graduates were employed at ten months and 83.25 percent passed the bar on the first attempt. South Carolina Law is also genuinely selective, admitting 29.9 percent of applicants at a 162 LSAT median. Within its national peer group it is more ordinary: among the 43 ABA law schools whose median LSAT sits within two points of its 162, ranked by acceptance rate, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law is 22nd most selective of 43, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The thesis of this page is that South Carolina Law is a splitter-friendly public flagship whose low resident tuition and strong employment and bar outcomes anchor it in South Carolina, where 70.8 percent of its graduates practice.

University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law at a glance: LSAT, GPA, acceptance rate and cost

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law posts a 162 LSAT median, a 3.67 GPA median, and a 29.9 percent acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Resident tuition and fees run $20,322 and nonresident $38,100, with living expenses of $25,392 listed separately. The table below collects the headline numbers for South Carolina Law.

MetricUniversity of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law (fall 2025 entering class)LSAT (25th / 50th / 75th)160 / 162 / 164GPA (25th / 50th / 75th)3.43 / 3.67 / 3.86Acceptance rate29.9%Applications2,114Offers of admission632Matriculants from the applicant pool215First-year class221Full-time tuition and feesResident $20,322 / nonresident $38,100Living expenses$25,392Share receiving grants90%Median grant$12,562Conditional scholarshipsNoFirst-time bar passage83.25%Employed at ten months93.1% (188 of 202)

Source: the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class), with employment from the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 and bar passage from South Carolina Law's ABA bar-passage report. Tuition and fees and living expenses are printed separately in the 509, which does not publish a single combined cost-of-attendance total, so this page reports the components rather than inventing an all-in figure for the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law.

What LSAT and GPA do you really need to get into University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law reports an LSAT spread of 160 to 164 and a GPA spread of 3.43 to 3.86 in its 2025 ABA 509. A 162 and a 3.67 sit at both medians. Below the 160 LSAT or the 3.43 GPA, you need a clear compensating strength on the other number to stay competitive at South Carolina Law.

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law reports an LSAT 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of 160, 162, and 164, and a GPA 25th, 50th, and 75th of 3.43, 3.67, and 3.86 for the fall 2025 entering class, per its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. The median is the fiftieth percentile: half of enrolled students scored above 162 on the LSAT and above 3.67 in GPA, and half below. At South Carolina Law both medians are high for its market, and clearing them puts an applicant at the center of the class rather than at its edge.

Read the realistic range this way. A 162 LSAT paired with a 3.67 GPA sits at both medians of the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, a strong position. The 25th percentiles, a 160 LSAT and a 3.43 GPA, are real admit territory, but a file at or below one quartile wants the other index at or above the median to carry it. Below the 160 LSAT or the 3.43 GPA, an applicant needs a clear compensating strength, most reliably a higher LSAT, to keep the file live at South Carolina Law, which is a selective public flagship.

The shape of the two bands makes the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law splitter friendly. Lovare's read of the 509 spreads shows a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.24 and an LSAT 25th-to-median spread of two points, so the GPA band runs wider on the low side than the LSAT band. A splitter-friendly school forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high, while a reverse-splitter-friendly school forgives a lower LSAT when the GPA is high. South Carolina Law leans splitter: a high LSAT near the 164 upper quartile paired with a GPA in the mid 3.4 range has a genuine path, more so than a high GPA sitting on an LSAT below 160.

One reassuring fact belongs in this section. The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law reports first-year academic attrition of 3.0 percent in its 2025 ABA 509, a low figure that indicates most admitted students who enroll finish the first year. Combined with scholarships that are not conditional, that means the first year at South Carolina Law does not carry the added pressure of a grade threshold tied to keeping your award.

Is University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law harder to get into than its reputation?

In its home state, it is the toughest admit; nationally, it is about average for its LSAT band. By raw acceptance rate, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law ranks 22nd most selective of the 43 schools within two points of its 162 LSAT median, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509. That is squarely mid-band, even as its 29.9 percent admit rate marks it as genuinely selective.

Reputation places the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law as the flagship public law school of its state, and its 162 LSAT median and 29.9 percent acceptance rate fit that standing. Lovare built a peer band of the 43 ABA law schools whose median LSAT falls within two points of South Carolina Law's 162, that is, a median of 160 to 164, then ranked them by acceptance rate from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. By that ranking, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law comes in 22nd most selective of the 43, right at the midpoint of the band.

In plain terms, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law admits about the share of applicants you would expect at its LSAT median when measured against national peers. According to South Carolina Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, the school received 2,114 applications, made 632 offers, and enrolled a first-year class of 221, for a 29.9 percent acceptance rate. That is a genuinely selective admit rate, so an in-state applicant should treat South Carolina Law as a real target rather than a safety.

The honest verdict is that the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law is a genuinely selective public flagship that sits with the typical school at its LSAT level nationally. For an applicant at or above the 162 and 3.67 medians, South Carolina Law is a realistic target, and its low resident tuition is a central part of its appeal.

How much does University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law cost, and how much scholarship money will you get?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law charges $20,322 in resident tuition and fees and $38,100 nonresident, per its 2025 ABA 509, plus $25,392 in living expenses. Ninety percent of students receive grants, the median award is $12,562, and a nonresident median-grant recipient nets about $25,538 before living costs. This is a strong value.

Start with the sticker, which is the school's biggest advantage. The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists resident tuition and fees at $20,322 and nonresident tuition and fees at $38,100, plus $25,392 in living expenses. The 509 lists tuition and living costs separately and does not publish a single combined cost-of-attendance total, so any all-in annual number quoted elsewhere is someone's arithmetic rather than a figure South Carolina Law reports, and this page will not invent one. The resident figure is the headline: at $20,322, South Carolina Law's resident tuition and fees are low for a law degree before any scholarship is applied.

On aid, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law reaches nearly all of its students. According to the same 509, 90 percent of South Carolina Law students receive grant aid, with awards at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of $8,000, $12,562, and $18,000. The school reports 7 full-tuition awards and 17 awards above full tuition. The 17 above-full-tuition awards are notable at a public school: because resident tuition is low, an award can exceed tuition and reach into a living stipend for the strongest in-state admits to South Carolina Law.

The math depends on residency. Against the $38,100 nonresident sticker, a student receiving South Carolina Law's median grant of $12,562 nets about $25,538 in tuition and fees before living costs, per Lovare's read of the 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. A resident starts far lower, at $20,322, so the same median grant cuts a resident's tuition and fees to a fraction of that, and residents who land the above-median or full-tuition awards can approach a free legal education. Good news on stability: the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law reports that its scholarships are not conditional, so an award is not tied to a first-year grade threshold and cannot be cut if your grades slip.

What are your real chances off the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law waitlist?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law does not disclose waitlist offers or admits, and no ABA report does. The honest proxy is implied yield: 215 matriculants against 632 offers is a 34.0 percent yield, per Lovare's read of the 2025 ABA 509. That relatively high yield suggests the South Carolina Law waitlist moves less than at lower-yield schools.

Here is the reasoning in full. The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law enrolled 215 matriculants from the applicant pool against 632 offers in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, an implied yield of 34.0 percent. No ABA disclosure, South Carolina Law's included, publishes how many applicants are admitted off the waitlist or how many accept, so implied yield is the honest proxy for waitlist movement. When about a third of admitted students enroll, a school needs to extend fewer offers beyond its seats and leans on its waitlist less to complete the class.

A 34.0 percent yield is on the higher side for a school at this selectivity level, which for a waitlisted applicant to the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law is a sober signal. A higher yield means the class fills more reliably from first-round offers, so the waitlist tends to move less than at a school yielding only a fifth of its offers. That reflects the value pull of a low-cost flagship: admitted students, especially residents, accept at a strong rate.

If you land on the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law waitlist, the play is still worth running: send a concise letter of continued interest naming South Carolina Law as a top choice, add any new LSAT score or improved grades, and keep another acceptance in hand as your floor. Because the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law is splitter friendly, a retake that raises your LSAT toward the 164 upper quartile is the most persuasive update you can send, even though the higher yield means fewer waitlist seats open in a typical cycle.

Where do University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law graduates actually work?

In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law placed 70.8 percent of graduates in South Carolina and 81.7 percent across its top three markets. Large firms of 101 or more lawyers took 16.3 percent, and 2.0 percent won federal clerkships. South Carolina Law is a strongly in-state school with a high employment rate.

Start with concentration, because it is what predicts fit. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law placed 143 of its graduates in South Carolina, 13 in North Carolina, and 9 in Georgia. That is a 70.8 percent top-market share and an 81.7 percent top-three share, describing a school whose network runs deep in South Carolina and the neighboring Carolinas and Georgia. If you want to practice in Columbia, Charleston, or Greenville, South Carolina Law is aimed squarely at your market. If your target is outside the Southeast, that concentration is a signal that the school's alumni pull is regional rather than national.

The employment rate is a clear strength for the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law. South Carolina Law reported 188 of 202 graduates employed at ten months, or 93.1 percent, in the same ABA Employment Summary, a high rate for a regional public flagship. That figure, paired with the low resident tuition, is the core of the value case: graduates leave with less debt and find work at a high rate close to home.

On firm and clerkship outcomes, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law is a solid regional performer. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 16.3 percent of South Carolina Law graduates taking jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers, a respectable share for a regional flagship, and 2.0 percent entering federal clerkships. Taken together, the outcomes describe a school that places the large majority of its class into South Carolina and Southeast practice, with a meaningful minority reaching large firms and a small number winning federal clerkships from the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law.

When are University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's application deadlines?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's specific application deadlines and any Early Decision terms are not confirmed here for the current cycle, so confirm them directly on South Carolina Law's admissions site. The sources here, the 2025 ABA 509 and the ABA employment and bar reports, do not publish cycle dates. This guidance is dated August 2026.

To be transparent about what this page can and cannot verify: the primary disclosures behind the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's numbers, namely the 2025 ABA Standard 509 report and the ABA employment and bar-passage reports, do not include application deadlines or the terms of any binding Early Decision program. Rather than state a date this page cannot source, the honest step is to send you to South Carolina Law's own admissions page for the current cycle's deadlines and any Early Decision option, verified as accurate to check as of August 2026.

As a general matter in law school admissions, applying earlier in a cycle tends to help, because offers and scholarship funds deplete as a class fills. That dynamic matters at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, where the most selective admit rate in its state and a 34.0 percent yield mean the class fills efficiently. Submitting a complete, strong application early, well before any posted final deadline you confirm on the South Carolina Law site, is the lower-risk approach, especially for an applicant hoping to land one of the school's full-tuition or above-full-tuition awards.

Frequently asked questions about getting into University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law

Is a 162 LSAT good enough for University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law?

A 162 is exactly the LSAT median at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, per its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, where the middle 50 percent scored 160 to 164. A 162 puts you at the fiftieth percentile, competitive rather than a lock. Pair it with a GPA at or above the 3.67 median and you are a strong candidate at South Carolina Law.

What GPA do you need to get into University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law reports a GPA median of 3.67, with a 25th to 75th range of 3.43 to 3.86, in its 2025 ABA 509. Aim for 3.67 or higher. Because South Carolina Law is splitter friendly, a high LSAT can help carry a GPA in the mid 3.4 range, so the LSAT is the more forgiving number at the school.

What is University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's acceptance rate?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law admitted 29.9 percent of applicants for the fall 2025 class, extending 632 offers against 2,114 applications, according to its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. That ranks 22nd most selective of the 43 schools in its national LSAT band, a genuinely selective admit rate.

How many people apply to University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law each year?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law received 2,114 applications for the fall 2025 entering class, made 632 offers, and enrolled a first-year class of 221, per its 2025 ABA 509. That pool against a limited number of offers is what produces South Carolina Law's 29.9 percent acceptance rate, a genuinely selective figure.

How much does University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law cost per year?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law lists resident tuition and fees of $20,322 and nonresident tuition and fees of $38,100, plus $25,392 in living expenses, in its 2025 ABA 509. South Carolina Law does not publish a single cost-of-attendance total, so tuition and living are best read separately rather than summed into an invented all-in figure.

Does University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law give scholarships?

Yes, and broadly. The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law reports that 90 percent of students receive grant aid, with awards of $8,000, $12,562, and $18,000 at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, plus 7 full-tuition awards and 17 above full tuition, per its 2025 ABA 509. South Carolina Law scholarships are not conditional, so an award cannot be cut for grades.

What is University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's bar passage rate?

The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law posted an 83.25 percent first-time bar passage rate for exam year 2024, with South Carolina as its largest jurisdiction, according to its ABA bar-passage report. Its ultimate pass rate for the 2022 cohort was 86.67 percent. Both figures are strong, a point in favor of South Carolina Law.

Where do most University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law graduates work?

Most stay in South Carolina. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law placed 143 graduates in South Carolina, 13 in North Carolina, and 9 in Georgia, a 70.8 percent top-market share and 81.7 percent across the top three. South Carolina Law has a strongly in-state placement profile with reach into the neighboring Southeast.

Do University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law graduates get large-firm jobs or clerkships?

Some do. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law sent 16.3 percent of graduates to large firms of 101 or more lawyers and 2.0 percent to federal clerkships. For a regional public flagship, South Carolina Law posts a respectable large-firm share and a small but real clerkship pipeline.

Can a splitter get into University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law?

A splitter has a real path. Lovare reads the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law as splitter friendly, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.24 but a narrower LSAT spread of two points in the 2025 ABA 509. That means South Carolina Law forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high, so a high-LSAT applicant with a GPA in the mid 3.4 range remains viable.

How selective is University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law compared with schools at the same LSAT?

About average nationally, and the toughest in its state. Among the 43 schools whose median LSAT is within two points of the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law's 162, ranked by acceptance rate, South Carolina Law is 22nd most selective of 43, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509. It sits mid-band nationally while remaining a genuinely selective public flagship.

Is University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law a good value for residents?

Yes, exceptionally. The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law lists resident tuition and fees of $20,322 in its 2025 ABA 509, and 90 percent of students receive grants with a $12,562 median award, so a typical resident recipient pays well under the sticker. With 17 above-full-tuition awards available, top in-state admits to South Carolina Law can approach a free legal education.

Is University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law worth it?

For a South Carolina career, strongly so. The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law pairs low resident tuition of $20,322 with 90 percent grant reach, 93.1 percent employment at ten months, and an 83.25 percent first-time bar rate, all from its 2025 disclosures. South Carolina Law is a strong value for an in-state applicant, with low resident tuition and high employment.

What LSAT and GPA give the best shot at a University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law scholarship?

A high LSAT above all. Because the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law is splitter friendly and reports 7 full-tuition and 17 above-full-tuition awards in its 2025 ABA 509, an LSAT above the 162 median, pushing toward the 164 upper quartile, paired with a GPA at or above 3.67, positions you for the largest awards at South Carolina Law.

Sources

Every figure on this page is drawn from primary disclosures, listed here so readers can verify each one directly.

University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class): https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/AnnualQuestionnaire/GenerateIndividualDisclosure509Report?schoolId=137&year=2025

University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law ABA bar-passage report: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/BarPassageOutcomes/GenerateIndividualBarPassageReport?schoolId=137&year=2025

ABA Employment Summary, Class of 2024: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/EmploymentOutcomes/GenerateIndividualEQSummaryReport?schoolId=137&year=2024

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